


All That I Have To Give

by ladynerdynerd (sparrowsword)



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Affection, Emotional, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I have a lot of feelings, Love, Parent-Child Relationship, Young Peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-04 11:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10989891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparrowsword/pseuds/ladynerdynerd
Summary: Five times Yondu didn't hug Peter and the time that he finally did.





	1. The Joining Of Hands

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been working on this instead of doing important work for the last week (priorities!!) because I still have a lot of feelings and I just need to get them out damn it!! I've also come to appreciate just how bloody clever James Gunn is on watching the first movie again: it's all there with Yondu, right from the start and oh god it just hurts even more!
> 
> It's all finished apart from one chapter so I'll be uploading rather quickly. Some chapters will be shorter than others so don't expect anything too epic haha. I wrote a lot of it to certain songs and pieces of music in order to get myself in the right mood, so I'll share those with each chapter should anybody care to know what helped fuel each chapter :) Some songs are relevant, some really really aren't. 
> 
> This one was written to Rocket Man by Elton John and Mr Blue Sky by ELC, because well why the hell not!

For the first week, Peter cried whenever Yondu came anywhere near him. 

The blue-skinned Ravager didn’t have to even look at the boy for the tears to start falling thick and fast and his little pink face to screw up with genuine fear. Normally, Yondu wouldn’t be phased by such a reaction; there was plenty of beings on the galaxy that he had the same effect on, but this was starting to feel a bit too personal now. The kid had been brought to him after he was beamed onto the ship, terrified and freshly fitted with a universal translator, and before Yondu could even say ‘Welcome aboard, kid,’ the boy had taken one look at him and erupted into a screaming fit so loud, half the crew’s ears were still ringing. 

Yondu was aware that he could cut quite an intimidating figure, but that was usually down to his reputation proceeding him and not solely down to his appearance alone. It had been a damn long time since someone had been rendered scared as hell at the mere sight of him. He’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t got the tiniest little thrill out of it at the start but now, after seven days of fearful sobbing and terrified screaming, the novelty had completely worn off. 

The boy seemed to find Kraglin the least threatening person aboard the ship so Yondu assigned the man to watch him, hopeful that a few days spent together would allow his first mate to convince the kid that Yondu wasn’t going to come and kill him while he slept, or whatever it was that he thought Yondu was planning on doing. 

Seven days later, there had been no change and Yondu’s patience had all but run out. He’d provided the boy with a small but comfortable room, made sure he had plenty of food and water, let him keep all his personal belongings when, by rights of being a Ravager, he could have just kept them for himself, and still the boy cowered in his presence. 

As he came off shift for the night on the seventh day, he decided that enough was enough and strode into the boy’s room without warning, determined to put an end to it all. Peter’s reaction was as he expected and he flinched as a high wail pierced the air. 

‘’You can knock all that off right now, boy,’’ he said loudly, coming to stand by the bunk. ‘’I don’t wanna have to gag ya but for the sake of the crew’s ears and my sanity, I’m willin’ to do it.’’ 

Peter’s mouth closed with a whimper and he felt silent, though Yondu could make out the sound of his tiny teeth chattering as his jaw trembled with fear. 

‘’Look,’’ Yondu parked himself on the bed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as Peter shrank back from him as much as he could. ‘’I get it. Strange ship full of things you ain’t never seen b’fore comes and picks you up in the middle of the night...it’s bound to freak anyone out, right?’’ 

Peter gave the minutest of nods which was a hell of a lot more than Yondu was expecting. 

‘’Right. But tell me, anythin’ bad happened to you since you been on my ship, boy?’’ 

Peter looked down at his hands as they fiddled with one of the laces of his shoes and whispered something. 

‘’Say that again, I didn’t hear ya,’’ Yondu grunted, tipping his head closer to catch the words. 

‘’I got told you were gonna eat me…’’ 

Yondu blinked, slowly straightened up and regarded the boy with a blank expression for a minute before erupting into a fit of raspy laughter, making Peter jump in surprise. He watched with wary curiosity as the captain chuckled loudly, a hand clutching one side as though it hurt. 

‘’Ah, kid,’’ Yondu eventually wheezed, brushing a finger under his watering left eye. ‘’There ain’t near enough meat on them bones to make me wanna eat ya.’’ 

Peter frowned and Yondu was surprised, and a little bit glad, to see a spark of anger in the boy’s green eyes. 

‘’Well, how would I know? You’re big and scary and,’’ he flailed a hand in Yondu’s direction, ‘’blue! How am I s’posed to know that you’re the kinda alien that doesn’t eat people?’’ 

‘’You met many aliens, boy?’’ Yondu demanded, the word ‘alien’ coming out with a sarcastic bite. 

Peter stared at him as though he was mad. ‘’No,’’ he said somewhat sullenly. 

‘’So what makes ya assume that any would wanna eat you?’’ 

‘’’Cos some big scary ugly dude told me that you would!’’ 

‘’Except for that!’’ 

Peter shrugged. ‘’S’what happens in all the movies…’’ he paused for a moment and then added, ‘’except the Spielberg ones.’’ 

‘’Well I don’t know what kinda rubbish you Terrans watch on your planet, or what a Spielberg is,’’ Yondu huffed. ‘’But did ya ever think that maybe that me an’ my crew might be like them aliens you’ve seen in your Terran movies that don’t eat people?’’ 

Peter snorted, all traces of terror practically gone. ‘’You’re nothing like E.T.’’ 

‘’What the hell is a-ya know what,’’ Yondu cut himself off with a snarl and gave the boy a frustrated glare. ‘’How about this…’’ 

He held out a blue hand, palm up and fingers slightly spread, towards Peter, hoping to hell that the gesture of shaking hands wasn’t an unknown concept on Terra. 

Peter regarded the hand in front of him as one might regard a dangerous weapon, his eyes moving intently with curiosity and suspicion. Yondu had to give it to the kid, he had some wits about him once he’d stopped and gave the situation at hand, no pun intended, some thought. That sort of thinking would prove useful if the boy was to be spending some time with a crew full of some of the most notorious scoundrels in the galaxy, Yondu himself included. 

‘’My momma died.’’ 

This wasn’t an unknown fact to Yondu, but that didn’t mean he was prepared to really talk to the kid about it. Yondu wasn’t much of an expert when it came to children, but even he knew that a kid who had lost their momma would be hurting, scared and likely in need of comfort, which was something that he couldn’t provide the boy. There were already mutterings of discontent amongst the crew about the possibility of Yondu keeping the kid instead of delivering him; if the captain was then to be seen bestowing affection on the boy or anything else that could be deemed as ‘soft’, there would be a mutiny before he could so much as whistle. 

No, better the boy grow up to not readily expect such things, not if he was to survive this life. Yondu didn’t fancy more blood on his hands; the kid would thank him for it later. 

Praying that the boy wasn’t actually expecting a hug, he kept his hand held out to the boy and schooled his face into what he could only hope was a look of understanding, or something to that effect. 

‘’I know, boy.’’ 

To Yondu’s relief, his answer seemed to be enough, though he could practically see the questions beginning to line up inside the boy’s head; questions that he would avoid answering for as long as possible, or at least until he figured out what he was actually going to do with the boy. Yondu knew that some of his actions and his general way of life gave the appearance of a man who had no morals, but he wasn’t heartless; if he was, he’d tell the boy right then and there just how he already knew that his momma was dead, or that it wasn’t a coincidence that the Eclector had been right outside that hospital when Peter had come bursting out of the doors. 

No, Yondu wasn’t heartless, but he was suspicious. He’d had a bad feeling in his gut about this job for a long while now, especially since the last drop off he’d made, and that feeling had become even harder to ignore from the moment Peter had appeared on the ship. 

His train of thought was broken by Peter shuffling a little bit closer to him. Yondu watched carefully as he tentatively reached out a hand and touched his palm to Yondu’s. He gave a tiny gasp as Yondu curled his fingers around his in a surprisingly gentle grip. 

‘’I-I’m Peter,’’ the boy said quietly, squaring his shoulders back to look Yondu in the eye, eliciting a grin from the Ravager. ‘’Peter Quill.’’ 

‘’Name’s Yondu.’’ 

They shook hands.


	2. A Scuffle and a Ruffle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter and left kudos, much appreciated :) Hope you're all enjoying it so far! 
> 
> This next chapter is set about a year after Peter joined Yondu and his crew, so he's still young and inexperienced. 
> 
> The main song I listened to when writing this was Knights of Cydonia, especially the later part of the song. Enjoy!

It had to happen sometime. By the law of averages, it should have happened before now and, quite frankly, Yondu was rather amazed that they’d manage to go this long without a deal going spectacularly wrong. 

It had been a routine job; some rich fanatic wanted something rare and valuable collected and delivered and had offered an impressive fee for the successful completion of the job. The client was known to Yondu; they’d never had dealings together in the past, but the captain had heard tale of their appetite for all manner of things unique and worthy of appreciation by others. If it hadn’t been for the sizable payment offer, Yondu would have saved himself the trouble of what he knew would be a long and draining search, no doubt with the potential for several time-consuming fights and wasted resources, but he was not one to turn his nose up at an obscene amount of money no matter how arduous the job may seem. 

The item in question had been nothing Yondu had ever seen before, but Peter’s eyes had lit up at the sight of the thin, round object before he’d explained to Yondu what it was. How a ‘vinyl record’ from Terra had ended up so far across the galaxy in the clutches of a group of rather angry Sirusites he didn’t know, but far be it from him to ask questions about things he really didn’t give a damn about. They retrieved the item successfully and, much to the boy’s disappointment, rendezvoused at the client’s mothership a few jumps over from the Ravager’s usual airspace to make the exchange. 

‘’Mr Udonta!’’ The client, a bulky reptilian being by the name of Jose, beamed at the Centaurian as he strode into a huge meeting room upon the ship, flanked by several members of his crew and a curious Peter who, though having all but demanded to come along, shyly concealed himself behind Yondu’s legs. ‘’A pleasure to see you again, and much sooner than I expected!’’ 

Yondu wasn’t big on meaningless pleasantries but he gave the guy a flash of his sharp teeth. ‘’What can I say? You hired the best.’’ 

The reptile nodded. ‘’I did indeed!’’ he boomed in delight and Yondu felt Peter jump slightly at the sudden loudness. ‘’I trust there were no complications?’’ 

There had been plenty; Kraglin taking a shot to the arm being one of them. The culprit had met the business end of Yondu’s arrow multiple times for that one. 

‘’No more than usual,’’ Yondu replied with an arrogant smirk. 

Jose clapped his hands together in excitement. ‘’To business then! May I see the item?’’ 

Yondu turned his head to regard Peter from over his shoulder. The boy looked up at him before turning his gaze somewhat sadly down at the record clutched reverently in his hands. With a sigh, Peter gave it to Yondu, who held it out for Jose to see. However, the reptile was peering curiously at Peter, who was now slightly visible by Yondu’s side. Yondu noticed the hungry light in Jose’s beady eyes and placed his free hand on the hip where his arrow sat before angling his body to once again conceal Peter. 

‘’If ya don’t mind,’’ he barked loudly, ‘’my crew and I got other business to attend to.’’ 

Jose turned his gaze back to him and smiled, showing way too much teeth for Yondu’s liking. 

‘’Of course, Mr Udonta.’’ A click of his claws brought one of the many guards in the room running forward with a bulging bag of units. He was met halfway by Tullk who snatched the bag and immediately began to root through it, muttering under his breath as he counted the money. Meanwhile, Yondu signalled to Oblo to take the record to Jose, reluctant to bring himself or Peter any closer to the creature. Jose took the record but, as Yondu had feared, barely glanced at it in favour of studying Yondu rather intently. 

‘’Tell me, Mr Udonta,’’ he said slowly, ‘’the child…He is a Terran, yes?’’ 

Yondu merely grunted in agreement, wishing that Tullk would hurry the hell up so he could catch the man’s eye to signal that there was a problem. 

‘’And what would a man such as yourself be doing with a Terran child?’’ 

‘’That ain’t none of your business,’’ Yondu snapped, casting another frustrated glance at Tullk’s back. 

Jose hummed in thought and looked down at the record in his hands. ‘’I suspect you’ve had many generous offers to buy him in the past.’’ 

Yondu felt a small hand clutch the back of his coat. ‘’He ain’t for sale,’’ he said firmly, the tone of his voice finally catching Tullk’s attention who looked up from the bag of units. Though Yondu’s piercing gaze was fixed on Jose, Tullk could see the tense stance of his captain and surreptitiously rested a hand on the butt of his gun, as did the other Ravagers in the room. 

‘’Come now, Mr Udonta,’’ Jose crooned with a smile. ‘’You and I both know that a Terran child has no business being amongst Ravagers.’’ He gave a gravelly chuckle. ‘’I’m surprised he’s managed to survive this long.’’ 

‘’Yondu…’’ a voice whispered. 

‘’Quiet, boy,’’ Yondu muttered, his red eyes narrowing dangerously. ‘’Like I said, he ain’t for sale.’’ 

‘’He’s a thousand units short, Cap’n,’’ Tullk announced as he moved to stand closer to Yondu. 

‘’Don’t care,’’ Yondu growled, eyeing the guards on his left. ‘’We’re gettin’ outta here.’’ 

‘’Child,’’ Jose called and the hand on Yondu’s coat scrunched into a tight fist. ‘’If you were to stay here with me, you would have access to all the splendours of Terran culture.’’ He waved the record in the air as though Peter would be able to see it through Yondu’s body. 

Yondu felt his blood turn to ice. He should have known; this guy was a Terran obsessive. He’d encountered a few of them in his time; bunch of nutcases obsessed with getting their hands on anything that came from Terra, children included. He’d heard some truly grisly stories over the years about what had happened to those kids and he felt his stomach turn with disgust. 

‘’’The Dark Side of the Moon,’’’ Jose read aloud from the record cover and laughed. ‘’Ah, the Terran culture is quite something! If you were to stay with me, child, there would be so much you could teach me about your species, and in return you would have unlimited access to my collection.’’ 

Probably from inside a goddamn glass cage, Yondu thought, his lip curling up with anger at the mere thought. 

‘’What do you say, child?’’ 

‘’No!’’ was the extremely defiant answer from the boy, who poked his head out from behind Yondu to glare angrily at Jose. ‘’I’m not going anywhere with you.’’ 

All traces of pleasantness, real or not, disappeared from the reptile’s rotund face. ‘’Then I believe we have reached an impasse.’’ 

Yondu had barely whipped his coat back at the sight of the guards raising their guns before a high scream came from behind him. Wheeling round, he saw Oblo crash heavily into the guard who had somehow managed to grab Peter, sending the three of them flying to the floor. As gunfire rapidly filled the air, Yondu darted forward to retrieve Peter, unleashing his arrow with a furious medley of whistles as he did so. Oglo struggled to his feet and shot the offending guard directly in the head, unintentionally causing a jet of green blood to spray over Peter. The boy let out a shocked gasp and quickly scrambled backwards, inadvertently moving himself further away from Yondu in his haste to get away from the gore. 

Jose was on him within a second, large clawed hands plucking the boy up by his hood and yanking him up into the air, backing away in a speedy waddle. Fury almost blinded Yondu and with a high whistle, his arrow changed course and barrelled straight into the reptile’s neck, shooting clean out of the other side. The reptile let out a gurgle of laughter and continued to retreat, clutching the struggling child closer to his side. 

Yondu snarled furiously, stalking forward through the sea of blaster fire as his men continued to tango with the guards. His eyes and fin turned a blazing red as his arrow once again hit Jose, this time through the chest, and yet the reptile still did not fall. 

‘’Give me the kid!’’ Yondu commanded, his face contorted into a frightening mask of rage. 

Clearly on his last legs, oozing thick purple blood and hunched over, Jose turned to sneer at him. Without warning, he gave a loud groan and hurled Peter high into the air, high into the path of oncoming blaster fire and as Yondu’s arrow struck the reptile one last time, Yondu launched himself up into the air without another thought. His arms reached out for Peter but a sudden burning sensation in his left shoulder and upper back sent him twisting sideways through the air with a pained grunt. He hit the ground hard and his vision swam dizzyingly with the impact. 

‘’Yondu!’’ 

He heard the boy yell his name, once, twice, and then a young face peered worriedly into his own and it was enough to propel him back to his feet and without another word, he scooped the boy up over his uninjured shoulder and ran for the door, his men and his arrow hot on his heels. 

**** 

Later on, after a particularly unpleasant visit to the med-bay during which the Doc poured some wretched healing ointment onto his wounds, Yondu stood on the bridge, red eyes thoughtfully staring up at the stars. Yes, by the law of averages, it was about time that a deal went wrong, but he never expected it to go wrong due to his own stupidity. 

What the hell had he been thinking taking the boy along? Kid had only been travelling with them for a short while and was still nervous around the more larger members of his crew, let alone anything as disturbing as that scaly asshole. 

He’d been playing it all over in his head since they had returned; the sight of Peter being thrown into the air, burning rays of deadly fire missing him by inches, his young face full of terror, green eyes searching desperately for Yondu…The fear, the fury, the furious need to get to him had consumed Yondu so rapidly and completely that it still lingered even now, even when he knew Peter was safe and sound in his room. 

‘’Yondu?’’ 

Well, he _had_ been. 

‘’What you doin’ outta bed, boy?’’ 

Peter came to stand beside him and Yondu fought back a smirk at the sight of a small Ravager coat draped over the boy’s sleep clothes. 

‘’Couldn’t sleep.’’ 

Yondu grunted in acknowledgement and they stood together in silence for a few minutes, two pairs of eyes observing the vast space surrounding them. 

‘’Are there many guys like him?’’ 

‘’Like what?’’ 

‘’I don’t know...psychos, I guess,’’ Peter says with a frown. 

Yondu chuckled darkly. Oh kid, he thinks to himself, if only you knew. 

‘’There’s just about anythin’ you can think of out there in the galaxy, boy,’’ Yondu said with a somewhat weary sigh. ‘’Today was a mistake and it won’t be one I’ll be repeatin’.’’ 

Peter looked up at him, eyes wide with devastation. ‘’You mean I can’t come with you anymore?’’ 

Yondu rolled his eyes. ‘’No, boy, I ain’t sayin’ that. How the hell else you gonna learn how to be a Ravager if you don’t see how we work?’’ 

Moving over to his chair, Yondu cast a quick glance around the room, double checking that they were truly alone, and hid a grin as Peter copied his action. A multitude of taps on the left arm of the chair revealed a secret compartment from which Yondu plucked a small blaster, a standard edition that most gun owners would have used at some point in their lives. 

He held it out for Peter to look at, which he did with wide-eyed wonder. 

‘’First thing tomorrow, I’m teachin’ ya how to shoot.’’ 

He felt a strange warmth in his chest as he watched the boy’s face light up with joy and quickly shoved the blaster back into the compartment, willing the feeling to go inside with it. 

‘’There’s always danger, boy, an’ it’s about time you started learnin’ how to deal with it.’’ 

Peter nodded quickly, a small smile still lingering on his face at the prospect of learning how to shoot. 

‘’Best get your scrawny behind back into bed.’’ 

Peter didn’t move and Yondu was two seconds away from swatting him over the head when the boy pulled something out from inside his coat and held it up to Yondu. Yondu reached out and took it, frowning at the purple-stained record in his hand. 

‘’I grabbed it before we escaped,’’ Peter explained, squirming a little as Yondu turned his gaze onto him. ‘’I thought you might want it. I know that guy was a huge jerkwad but you might be able to sell it to somebody else and make more money.’’ 

Yondu didn’t know whether to feel impressed that the kid had thought to grab the thing so that Yondu could potentially gain more profit, and had probably done so before checking if Yondu was still breathing, or touched that the boy thought to give it to him instead of keeping it for himself. 

Wordlessly, he handed it back to Peter, earning a look of surprise in return which quickly morphed into one of happiness. The feeling in his chest made itself known once again and Yondu gave the boy’s hair a quick ruffle before shoving him a little too roughly in the direction of his room. 

Damn kid. Sighing loudly, he grabbed his datapad and dropped into his chair, red eyes scanning his list of numerous contacts thoughtfully as he wondered who the hell would know anything about locating a Terran record player…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies once again for any errors!
> 
>  With regard to the Siriusites, I just plucked a species at random off the Marvel species list haha; I only know the movie franchise so I hope that wasn't a bad choice. Also, Jose is a little reference to a certain song, and I'm sure you can all guess which one ;)
> 
> Another headcanon of mine is that Meredith made Peter loads of mixtapes and he had quite a few of them in his backpack when Yondu picked him up due to spending lots of time at the hospital or with his grandparents, so his selection of music is way bigger than what is on the Awesome mixes. I think he'd be happy to keep the record not only because Meredith most definitely was a collector of them, but because it's something to do with music from Earth and anything like that will always remind him of his mum. Also, because it's Peter's music that plays when Yondu, Rocket and Groot escape, I like to think that Yondu enjoys some of the same songs as Peter, not that he'd ever admit it!
> 
> This chapter would of course lead into that scene in the film where we see Yondu teaching Peter how to shoot, which was around about the time where I just completely lost it *cries* 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Honour Amongst Thieves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos! Hope people are still enjoying this :)
> 
> Musical inspiration for this chapter: 'Indy's Very First Adventure', better known as the chase music from the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!

He hadn’t meant to get lost, he really hadn’t. All he’d intended on doing was hanging back a little so Yondu wouldn’t notice what he was up to; he wanted it to be a surprise after all. Now, he was stood alone on a planet he’d never been to before, a brightly wrapped package clutched tightly in his hands, with no sign of Yondu or any of the crew anywhere. 

They’d come to Mercatus, a planet renowned for being home to one of the busiest markets in the galaxy, for a bit of a break. The Ravagers had been flying back and forth on scavenging missions, retrieval operations and, on one rather insane day, a misunderstanding with the Princess of the planet Delta-426 that had seen them hurtling across the skies with a bloodthirsty royal fleet right behind them. Even Yondu had agreed that they had all earned a break after that particular adventure, so they had touched down on the nearby Mercatus for a little relaxation and recuperation. 

In addition to selling almost anything a person could think of, it was also full of brothels boasting all manner of species and all manner of debauched acts. At least half the crew had disappeared into the various garishly adorned buildings, but Yondu had firmly led the thirteen-year-old Peter into the planet’s bustling streets. Together with the more culturally minded members of the crew they perused the stalls and shops; Peter had watched in amazement as Yondu skilfully bartered with the most stubborn of sellers, had licked his lips with joy at the tastes of the local cuisine and had chatted away excitedly at the sight of some of the coolest things he’d seen in the galaxy yet. 

A couple of times he’d glanced up at Yondu and noticed him looking back with what looked like a fond smile, but it would quickly disappear or morph into a more toothier and less genuine grin whenever he met Peter’s gaze. 

He’d recently heard a couple of the men talking about Yondu’s upcoming birthday and while it was Ravager tradition to celebrate anything of the sort with just a simple hardcore drinking session, Peter had been tentatively pondering the idea of getting the captain a gift of some kind. Yondu had never given him anything for his birthday, probably because Peter had never actually told him when it was, but that wasn’t to say that he never gave Peter anything. A whole new set of clothes every time Peter began to outgrow his current selection, a power cell for his Walkman and his blaster were just some of the things the Centaurian had given to Peter over the last few years. Yondu had even managed to track down a record player at one point, a gift which the crew had greatly disapproved of due to the lengths Yondu had made them travel to retrieve it. Not every single member had a problem with the way Yondu treated Peter, though for the sake of maintaining order, Yondu had been quite a lot harder on the boy recently. 

Still, buying Yondu a gift felt like a good thing to do and Peter knew that Mercatus would be the place to find something suitable. 

And find it he did. 

They had passed a stall covered in the most beautiful collection of material Peter had ever seen. It was like looking into a sea made of rainbows; colour cascaded all over the stand in the form of jackets and sarongs and bandanas and various other articles of clothing in such a way that Peter felt completely mesmerised at the sight of it all. There was even a top hat with a trim made of the purest diamond, or so the sign said, sewn into the rim. And there, amongst the brightness and the vibrancy of everything else, Peter had seen it; a simple piece of material, more silver than grey, thin but made with enough substance to make a decent scarf. It was an understated piece compared to the rest, but there was something about it that had made Peter think of Yondu. 

While the captain’s back was turned, Peter had quickly taken a glance at the price tag and had felt his stomach plummet in disappointment when he saw that it was well above anything he could afford. He had followed Yondu through the rest of the market with a dampened mood, especially when he couldn’t see anything else that seemed anywhere near as good as the scarf. 

Then, as they were doubling back to return to the ship, a thought had struck him like lightning. 

He was a Ravager. 

Ravagers steal from everybody. 

He’d waited until Yondu and the others were just out of earshot before sidling up to the stall, backpack poised and ready. The owner, a squat woman that reminded him of a Russian doll, had given him a pointed look before laughing. 

‘’Now, young man, do you think an old woman like me doesn’t recognise a wannabe thief when she sees one?’’ 

Peter’s face had flushed bright red with dismay but before he could even think about running, the woman had seized his arm in a tight grip. 

‘’Is it the silver scarf you were after?’’ 

Peter could only nod dumbly and she had fixed him with a grin. ‘’Well then, let’s see what we can do.’’ 

He had no idea how or why she’d agreed to sell him the scarf at a fraction of the price, but as he had walked away with it all wrapped up in pretty blue gauze, he realised that he didn’t care. He was just happy to have found a present for Yondu. 

Then he had noticed that he was alone and the panic had immediately set in. 

He couldn’t remember how to get to the area where the ship was docked and with the hundreds of people walking around him, he knew that the chances of finding Yondu easily were slim to none. 

An involuntary prickling sensation in the back of his nose made him sniff angrily and he stared down at the present in his hands, suddenly feeling like such a failure. He couldn’t even steal properly; he’d had to wait like a child as a kind old lady wrapped a present for him and as a result, he’d ended up lost. Suddenly feeling resentful of the woman, he turned to glare at her only to find she was already looking at him. 

The woman was pointing to him whilst talking frantically to what looked like some sort of security guard and when the bug-eyed man turned his sights onto Peter, he grabbed a whistle and blew it loudly. ‘’Stop! Thief!’’ 

‘’Thief?’’ Peter yelped in confusion, gaping at the woman as she grinned wickedly at him. As people began to turn to look at him, he quickly shoved the package into his backpack and darted forward, just missing the outstretched hand of the guard by an inch. He ran fast, weaving in between the throngs of people with ease, though he could tell that the guard wasn’t far behind. People yelped and swore at him as he shoved past them but there was no way he could stop to apologise, not if he wanted to get the hell off this planet. 

As he reached the edge of the market, he could see the giant pillar formed completely of electronic screens that featured directions and advertisements for the other planet attractions that they had passed earlier in the day. He quickly scanned it and never thought he’d be so happy to see a sign for a brothel. Sucking a deep breath into his aching lungs, he veered to the right, narrowly missing the guard once more and carried on running, hoping desperately that at least one member of the crew wasn’t tied up in a bedroom somewhere and could help him. 

A quick glance over his shoulder alerted him to the presence of more guards. Glancing around frantically for something that could help, Peter shouted a loud apology before he stuck his foot out and tripped a man, sending him flying into the path of the guards who promptly fell like bowling pins. He could see the garishly decorated brothel ahead and with one last burst of speed, he powered forward and shot though the front door, crashing onto the floor with a weak cry. 

‘’Hey!’’ a shrill voice shouted. ‘’No kids in here!’’ 

Peter looked up from his place on the floor and gave a startled shout as a scantily clad six-eyed woman with bright yellow hair glared down at him. He stammered for a reply, glancing desperately back at the door as he heard the approaching shouts of the guards. 

Catching on immediately, the woman grabbed him by his hair and yanked him upwards. ‘’A thief, eh?! You’re not hiding out in here!’’ 

‘’Wait!’’ Peter squirmed in her grip. ‘’It’s a mistake!’’ 

The woman merely snorted in disbelief and began to steer him towards the door, which suddenly flew open with a bang. 

‘’Just what d’ya think you’re doin’ in here, boy?!’’ Yondu thundered as he barged into the room. ‘’You got any idea how long I’ve been lookin’ for ya?!’’ Noticing the woman’s hand digging into Peter’s hair, Yondu’s red eyes moved to look at her. ‘’Lady, you best let go of him right now.’’ 

The woman did so with a growl and Yondu wasted no time in shoving the boy out of the door. 

‘’I gotta admire your ambition, boy, but you do know that you’re way too young for that sorta foolin’ around, right?’’ 

Peter nodded dumbly. 

As Yondu continued to lecture him, Peter carried on nodding, eyes searching frantically for any sign of the guards. Noticing his actions, Yondu stopped to peer at his face and frowned. 

‘’Wasamatter with you, boy?’’ 

Peter explained how the woman had called him a thief and Yondu chuckled. 

‘’So that’s why I saw you runnin’ like the devil was chasin’ ya,’’ he said with a smirk. ‘’Don’t worry ‘bout it, kid.’’ 

‘’I don’t understand why she called me a thief though,’’ Peter exclaimed, the outrage fresh in his mind again as he fell into step beside Yondu. ‘’I paid for the thing fair and square…’’ he paused as he remembered something. 

Damn, that lady was sneaky. She’d managed to get money out of him AND make him pay for trying to steal from her! 

‘’Though I did try and steal it first.’’ Peter said with a scowl, wishing he really had stolen the thing now, just to piss the woman off. 

Yondu stopped and looked down at him, brow raised with interest. ‘’Did ya now?’’ 

Peter nodded, his frustration immediately lifting as he sensed the tone of pride in Yondu’s voice. Though he was used by the Ravager crew for various jobs, such as squeezing into tiny spaces, he’d never made the decision to steal something on his own before. Deep down, Peter still knew that stealing was wrong, but from the way Yondu was looking at him, he couldn’t quite remember why. 

‘’What were you tryin’ to steal?’’ 

Peter looked at him for a moment before taking off his backpack to retrieve the gift from within. Swallowing nervously, he held it up to Yondu who regarded it curiously as he reached out to take it. 

‘’I heard some of the others talking about your birthday.’’ Peter said, suddenly feeling shy. ‘’I know you all just go and get drunk usually but…’’ He looked down at his shoes, feeling his face go red. ‘’I thought maybe I’d get you a present.’’ 

The sound of the wrapping paper being removed in a surprisingly careful manner met his ears and he slowly lifted his gaze to look at Yondu. The Centaurian held the scarf, unwound to its full length, between his hands and eyed it thoughtfully. Peter swallowed again and braced himself for whatever sarcastic comment or scolding Yondu was going to come out with. 

‘’This is a damn fine piece of clothing, boy,’’ Yondu said gruffly, twirling the scarf between his fingers. ‘’Damn fine indeed.’’ 

Peter gaped at him in surprise for a moment before a bashfully proud grin appeared on his flushed face. ‘’Really?’’ 

‘’And you tried to steal it, ya say?’’ 

Peter nodded enthusiastically and gave a stunned little laugh as Yondu wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a friendly jostle. 

‘’We may just make a Ravager out of you yet, boy!’’ 

Before Peter could reply, a sharp voice shouted, ‘’There he is! Get him!’’ 

Yondu pocketed the scarf and gave Peter a push forward, clearly in no mood for any fighting today. ‘’There’s your fan club boy, come on!’’ 

As they raced along together, Peter felt a fuzzy warm feeling somewhere deep inside his chest, something he hadn’t felt for a long time. He wanted to treasure the feeling, wanted to keep it for as long as possible and that night when Yondu came to Peter’s room, scarf stylishly wound around his neck beneath the collar of his coat, and presented Peter with his first pair of rocket books, he knew the feeling wouldn’t be going away for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it's just me, but it kinda looks like Yondu has some sort of scarf on underneath the rest of his clothes, though I suppose it could just be the top of an undershirt or something, but for the purposes of this fic, I'm saying it's a scarf!
> 
> I imagine that by this point, due to the nature of how Ravagers spend their leisure time, Yondu and Peter have already had the talk, hence why the conversation about the brothel isn't overly detailed. Also, as Peter is still fairly young and not totally involved in the Ravager lifestyle yet, I think his views on stealing would still be a bit more law-abiding than the rest of the Ravagers, though obviously that would change soon enough haha. 
> 
> As always, apologies for any mistakes or issues. Let me know what you think!


	4. Drink Up Me Hearties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone that's been reading and leaving kudos, it's much appreciated!
> 
> Song choice - Drink by Lil Jon feat. LMFAO and Welcome To The Jungle by Guns N' Roses,

Fuuuuck was he drunk! 

Peter rested his head against the bar, sleepy eyes lingering longingly at the shot glass beside him. Maybe if he just had this last one… 

A blue hand appeared out of nowhere and snatched up the shot. Peter’s gaze moved slowly after it and he moaned in dismay as he watched his drink disappear down Yondu’s throat. The Centaurian sighed appreciatively and slammed the shot glass back down before regarding Peter with what could only be described as satisfied glee. 

‘’You suck,’’ Peter slurred into the bar. 

Yondu laughed. ‘’Ain’t my fault you can’t handle your drink, boy.’’ 

‘’Ain’t a boy,’’ Peter grumbled. ‘’I’m twenty-one, r’member?’’ 

Yondu merely cuffed him round the back of the head in response before dropping down into the adjacent seat, swivelling it so his back was to the bar. Red eyes surveyed the crowd, lingering every now and then on the various crew members that had accompanied them for a drink…or twenty, if the plethora of empty tankards was anything to go by. Their wild laughter and unsavoury jeering and shouting could be heard well above the thrum of the music and the chatter of the other patrons, and there was every expectation that the night would end with a brawl, as it usually did. 

Peter lifted his head from the bar with a slurping sound, leaving behind a small puddle of drool, and signalled to the bartender, a pale octopus-like being with many arms, for another round. 

‘’Don’t ya think you’ve had enough, boy?’’ Yondu mumbled. 

‘’I’m fiiine,’’ Peter insisted, snatching up the glass as it was placed in front of him. He used the knuckles of his free hand to nudge the other glass closer to Yondu. ‘’You need to learn how to have fun, you crabby old crab.’’ 

While it wasn’t one of his finer insults, Peter grinned with drunken triumph as Yondu snorted, perhaps too buzzed enough to take any offense to the comment, and knocked back his shot without the slightest hint of a wince. Peter, on the other hand, coughed and gagged a little as the potent liquid hit his tongue and he smacked himself on the chest to ease it down. 

‘’Ugh, I don’t feel so good,’’ he muttered as he felt a rolling sensation somewhere near his belt. 

‘’If ya ask me, it’s the least you deserve for teachin’ the crew that fuckin’ song,’’ Yondu retorted. ‘’If I hear it one more time, I’m gonna lose my damn mind.’’ 

As if on cue, the crew burst into a horrendously out of tune rendition of ‘’We’re devils, we’re black sheep, we’re really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho!!’’ The ‘yo ho’ was accompanied by the furious slamming of tankards and glasses on tables and good natured punches to shoulders and bellowing laughter. Peter cackled in delight whilst Yondu palmed his blue forehead, eyes flashing murderously. 

‘’At least it’s not as bad as the time with the record player,’’ Peter offered, moving to bump his shoulder against Yondu’s which he missed entirely and ended up bracing himself awkwardly against the bar. 

‘’Yer lucky I didn’t kill y’all for that,’’ Yondu sneered, using one hand to heave Peter back into a sitting position. ‘’Damn brat.’’ 

In Peter’s defence, he hadn’t known that the mission, a simple retrieval operation, would involve a large number of the Ravagers traipsing through a jungle that was home to a particular plant that, when stepped on, released a chemical that had an effect similar to a drug that was illegal on many planets. When the crew had arrived back to the ship, high as kites, and heard the music from Peter’s record playing over the ship’s audio system, mass chaos had ensued as the men either freaked out or lapsed into states of delirious delight. This left Yondu, the only one who hadn’t been affected by the chemical, without a functioning crew and as a result, they had been left stranded until all had recovered. Peter had collapsed with laughter at the sight of Kraglin trying to deliriously cuddle the captain, though he quickly ran for his life as Yondu chased him through the ship, yelling all manner of depraved threats of what he would do once he caught Peter. 

‘’Still took my record player away,’’ Peter said sullenly, giving the captain a bleary glare. 

‘Yer lucky that’s all I did,’’ Yondu growled and turned on his seat to order a drink, groaning as the crew burst into song once again. ‘’If I was a real asshole I would have taken that damn Walkman too!’’ 

Their grousing banter carried on for a while and despite the taste of bile that now lingered in the back of Peter’s throat, he managed to sink three more shots, join in with yet another round of singing and stumble his way over to a table of women, where he proceeded to successfully hit on one of them to the point where she felt inclined to cosy up to him and run her forked tongue up and down his neck. 

He only realised something was going on when there was the sound of breaking glass and swearing from nearby. As heads began to turn to look for the source of the commotion, the tongue that had only seconds earlier been in his ear disappeared and a sultry voice said, ‘’Star-Lord, is that not your father over there?’’ 

Peter frowned in confusion. ‘’My father?’’ He shuffled in his seat to look in the direction she was pointing. ‘’What are you talk-You mean Yondu?!’’ He let out a bark of laughter as his gaze zeroed in on the Centaurian. ‘’He’s not my-hey, what’s going on?’’ 

Yondu wasn’t sitting at the bar like he was when Peter had last seen him. Instead, he was on his feet, fin flickering with streaks of red light as he glared menacingly at a hulking bear-like creature, who loomed over the captain with dripping fangs and a weapon cocked and aimed at his chest. Kraglin, Oglo, Tullk and a few of the less inebriated members of the crew were standing nearby, guns out and teeth bared aggressively at a group of shady lackeys that seemed to be formed entirely of grease and hair. Peter swayed slowly to his feet, a feeling of intense outrage flaring to life within his chest. Grabbing his drink, he downed it in one go and stormed forward, somehow managing to maintain his balance. 

‘’-not going to tell you again, Udonta.’’ The bear creature was snarling, spittle flying everywhere. ‘’Give us what we came for and we will not kill you.’’ 

‘’You deaf, Lachew?’’ Yondu retorted with disdain. ‘’It ain’t happenin’!’’ 

Before Lachew could reply, a voice cut across him. ‘’Hey assmunch!’’ 

There was no time for Lachew to react as Peter’s fist swung into the side of his furry chin, sending him careening into a chair with a surprised grunt. Peter chuckled in triumph and turned to flash a cocky grin at Yondu, barely catching the look of surprise on the captain’s face before something heavy smacked him in the eye and he flew backwards with an ‘ow fuck!’. His flailing body had barely struck the ground before Yondu barrelled into whoever had struck him and that was all it took for Kraglin to grab a glass and smash it into the face of the guy standing closest to him and suddenly, all weapons were abandoned in favour of fists for a good old fashioned punch up. 

‘’Motherfucker…’’ Peter groaned from his place on the floor. ‘’That was a cheap shot, asshole!’’ 

Chaos swirled around him. Those who hadn’t already fled the bar had thrown themselves into the fight with careless abandon and soon enough, the place was like a bombsite. Blood covered the walls, broken glass littered the floor and for every man or beast moaning in pain from a heavy blow to the face, there was another laughing manically as they joined a pileup on the floor or hurled a chair into someone’s back. What amazed Peter most of all was the ability of many of the fighters, especially the Ravagers, to continue to neck their drinks between every punch. 

Moving to stand, Peter yelped as a hand suddenly yanked him up by his shirt and he found himself face to face with a furious Yondu. 

‘’You really are a goddamn idiot, Quill!’’ 

Peter opened his mouth to argue but a hairy paw slammed into Yondu, sending him one way and Peter another. As he stumbled, he flung punches and kicks in every possible direction before somebody bumped into him, their head colliding with his so fiercely that he saw stars. The urge to vomit immediately followed and there was no stopping the mixture of recently consumed alcohol that suddenly poured from his mouth. Clutching one of the only unbroken chairs, his back heaved into an arch under the force of the wretches and with a pathetic moan, he collapsed back onto the sticky floor. 

As he stared up at the whirling ceiling, eyes blearily following the chaos surrounding him, he couldn’t help but slur the pirate shanty one more time before he passed out to the sound of skin hitting skin, loud laughter and some very familiar whistling. 

***** 

‘’You really are a goddamn idiot, boy.’’ 

‘’You already said that.’’ Peter grumbled into the bucket. 

‘’What in the hell were you thinkin’?!’’ 

Peter shuddered as another wave of nausea washed over him. ‘’Was trying to help you.’’ 

Yondu’s bark of laughter was way too loud for Peter’s liking. ‘’Since when have I needed help from you, boy?’’ 

‘’He looked like he was gonna eat you!’’ 

‘’I should eat _you_ ,’’ Yondu growled without much menace. 

‘’I said I’m sorry! Jeez!’’ Peter lowered the bucket to the ground and slowly easing himself onto his back with a groan. Opening an eye, he peered at Yondu who was sat beside his bunk, face set into a rigid mask of irritation. ‘’What the hell did that furball want with you anyway?’’ 

A look that Peter had never seen before flashed across Yondu’s face. It wasn’t fear, nor was it exactly worry or concern. In the dim light of the room, Peter could only describe it as almost predatory. 

‘’Somethin’ he was never gonna get.’’ 

Peter didn’t have time to reflect on that answer as he dove once again for the bucket. 

‘’Serves you right for teachin’ the crew that fuckin’ song!’’ Yondu snapped. ‘’Nobody can get it outta their heads.’’ 

‘’Ohhhh,’’ Peter cried, hanging limply over the side of the bed. ‘’I said I’m sorry. Can’t you give me a break?!’’ 

He moaned sadly as he threw up again, clutching the bucket for dear life as his body trembled violently. In his weakened state, all he wanted was for someone to give him a hug and to sleep for a hundred years, but knowing neither was a likely option had him moaning even more pathetically into the bucket. To his great surprise, relief and comfort came in the form of a cold flannel being pressed to the base of his neck sometime later, and when he felt a familiar hand give his shoulder a gentle reassuring squeeze, he felt a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lachew is somebody I made up and he's meant to resemble some sort of evil Chewbacca haha. I wrote this with the idea that Lachew knows who Peter is, either through dealings with Ego or just because Peter pissed off somebody on a planet somewhere and has a bounty or two on his head, and wants to bring him in, hence the stand off between him and Yondu. It's open to interpretation so do with that what you will :)
> 
> The Pink Floyd thing comes from the Dark Side of the Rainbow story, being that if The Dark Side Of The Moon is listened to whilst watching The Wizard Of Oz, it can do strange things to people if they happened to be under the influence of certain things. Just a silly idea that made me chuckle really!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! The last two chapters will be up very shortly!


	5. And Then, My Whole Wide World Went Zoom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never used song lyrics in a fanfic before; I'm still not convinced it works but I felt the lyrics, though from a love song, can apply quite well here.
> 
> Funnily enough, the song in question isn't what I listened to when I wrote it. The main sources of inspiration were Dad & A Total Hasselhoff by Tyler Bates from the GOTG Vol.2 soundtrack, cos those songs just make me weep buckets. 
> 
> God, I hope this isn't too rubbish!

_Zoom, just one look and then my heart went boom,_  
_Suddenly and we were on the moon,_  
_Flying high in a neon sky_

He should be angry that it ended up this way; hell, most folk would be angry at just the prospect of dying, let alone the reality of it. 

And yet, heading up into the cold and unforgiving vastness of space with Peter clutched tightly to his side, he can’t find any anger, except maybe a little for himself. 

Sorrow, regret, fear…it’s all there and he’d by lying if he said that he was okay with the unexpected turn of events, but as he looks down at Peter, takes in the look of affectionate awe on the boy’s face, he realises that he wouldn’t have it any other way, not when it came down to Peter’s life. 

_Zoom, you chased the day away_

He’s made mistakes, so many mistakes, and though it doesn’t do any good to reflect on them now, he can’t help but do so, just a little. 

He remembers things like the first time he laid eyes on Peter, so tiny and terrified. He remembers the epic teenage tantrums, the furious chases across the ship when the boy would misbehave, the look of wonder on his little face every time Yondu showed him something new. 

He remembers the days of exciting missions and races through space to see who would reach their latest mark first, and the way Peter would grin cheekily on the occasions Yondu would take his sass with good humour, and the time when Peter had hugged his leg with delight after hitting his first ever bullseye during shooting practice. 

There had been quieter times too, like when a restless Peter would join Yondu on the bridge during the night shift and they would look at the stars together while Yondu told a story or two, and the times when they would walk the ship together, Yondu at the front with a little hand clutching the tail of his coat all the way. 

_And then, my whole wide world went zoom._

He remembers it all but above everything, what he remembers most is just how damn proud he is of his boy. 

Looking back on it all, on his whole life, there’s plenty he would do differently, plenty he would change, but not Peter. 

Never Peter. 

_Faster and faster, we’re higher than high_  
_For once in my lifetime, I was finally free_  
_And you gave that to me_

He tells Peter that he’s sorry, because he is, so damn sorry for not getting any of it right, but that doesn’t change just how damn lucky he is to have had Peter in his life, to have someone like Peter as his boy. The look of surprise and then absolute adoration that crosses the boy’s face is perhaps the greatest reward Yondu has ever received. 

_All at once there was no turnin' back_  
_All so far above the brighter star_

As they climb higher and higher, he knows that his plan has been rumbled, and he realises that he wants to hold Peter as tight as possible, but to do so would rid him of one last look at the boy. So instead, he reaches out and takes Peter’s devastated face gently into his hands, fingers already numb enough to dull the sensation of touch but still he holds on, knowing that in these last few precious seconds together, it’s all he can do. 

Dying ain’t so bad, he thinks, as he feels the last of his breath leave his body. 

Not when he’s doing it for his son. 

_Zoom, just one look and then my heart went boom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *peeks out from behind hands* I hope that wasn't too cheesy/rubbish/awful!


	6. Father and Son

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it it, the last part! It really isn't what I hoped it would be but I don't know what I could do to make it better without it becoming really long winded, so hopefully it's still enjoyable.
> 
> This was written to the instrumental version of Unchained Melody by Maurice Jarre from the Ghost soundtrack; it never fails to make me absolutely cry my eyes out.

Yondu’s eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply, deeply, pulling as much air into his lungs as possible. Panic, shock and disbelief buzzed through him in a furious burst of adrenaline and he thought for one horrible second, he would quite literally explode from the force of it. His body throbbed with a nagging pain and there was an uncomfortable chill to his skin that made him shiver. With a groan, he pushed his head back into the pillow and took another deep, shuddering breath before opening his eyes again. 

His gaze flitted rapidly around the room, taking in the bright lights, the low ceiling, the familiar layout and the blurred faces waiting by his side. He blinked a couple of times, grunting in impatience as his vision slowly became clearer, allowing his gaze to settle on the man perched on the side of his bed. A mop of unruly copper hair, green eyes and a soft yet familiar cheeky smile swam into focus. There was a babble of hushed but excited chatter from the other occupants of the room, and then: 

‘’Hey, Yondu,’’ Peter said, his voice wobbling on the Centaurian’s name. 

Yondu wasted no time in sitting up and pulling Peter into a fierce embrace, squeezing him as tightly as he could without crushing the boy. 

To his relief but not at all to his surprise, Peter returned the hug with equal force, hands clutching the back of his shirt tightly and his face pressed into Yondu’s shoulder. For something they had never done before, it felt like the most natural thing in the world and Yondu found himself relishing the contact, bringing a hand up to trail softly through Peter’s hair. 

He’d been dead, he knew that. He’d felt the life leave his body, had watched Peter’s face fade into the blackness that had engulfed him so much quicker than he expected…and yet here he was, alive, breathing, holding onto Peter as though it would be the last time instead of the first. 

He could ask why, could find out how, but as Peter breathed in a way that sounded too close to a sob and adjusted the tightness of his grip, Yondu realised that he really didn’t care. The minor details, because that’s what they were in comparison to everything else, really didn’t matter to him, not when the real reason why, the real reason for any of it, was right here in his arms. 

They were alone now, the other guardians having had enough sense to give them some privacy but still they didn’t break apart. 

‘’Don’t you ever do that again, you stupid old man,’’ Peter mumbled hoarsely into Yondu’s shoulder. 

Yondu snorted, holding back a groan as his body protested against Peter’s fierce grip. ’’Good thing y’all only got one psychotic jackass for a father, otherwise I’d be in real trouble.’’ 

Peter flinched in his arms and Yondu relinquished his hold on him to sit back to get a look at his face. Teary green eyes peered back at him and suddenly, it was eight-year-old Peter sat before him, scared and lonely and in desperate need for reassurance, for someone to tell him that everything was all right. 

‘’It’s okay, boy,’’ he said roughly, giving Peter’s shoulders a squeeze. ‘’It’s over now.’’ 

‘’I thought you were dead,’’ Peter whispered. 

Yondu smiled; not his usual shark-like grin or his mocking sneer, but a warm, affectionate smile that Peter had only seen a handful of times in his life. 

‘’Someone’s gotta watch over yer scrawny ass, kid,’’ he said with a raspy chuckle, ‘’and I can’t exactly quit now, can I?’’ 

Peter laughed weakly. ‘’I’m not a kid, Yondu.’’ 

‘’Always gonna be my kid, boy,’’ Yondu raised an eyebrow at him and bared his teeth in a familiar grin. ‘’Didn’t we already have this talk?’’ 

Peter’s nose scrunched up as his emotions got the better of him and Yondu quickly grabbed him up into another hug, stemming the boy’s tears on his shoulder 

‘’...Thanks, Dad.’’ 

‘’Anytime, boy.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think my Yondu and Peter feels will ever be healed *sobs*
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!


	7. Father and Son Take 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a quick rough alternative version of the last chapter that I wrote first, but it just made me too sad haha, plus it seemed too similar to the ending of Ghost hahaha (I blame the song) so I went with the other idea instead, but I thought I'd post it anyway. Thanks for reading!

Peter’s never been to a funeral. 

He wasn’t there for the one they must have held for his mum, not that he would have wanted to be. To see her being put into the ground would have been more than he could ever bear. Yondu’s funeral isn’t much better in that sense; for all the kind gestures in the form of the trinkets covering his body and the fact that his remains will be scattered like stardust across the skies, it doesn’t change what’s happened, doesn’t bring him back. 

When Kraglin’s screams of joy ring out through the ship, signalling the unexpected arrival of the Ravagers, Peter smiles with the rest of them, just imagining how Yondu would have blustered his way through angry insults to disguise the pride and joy he would have felt at the sight of a million colours painting the sky in his honour. 

As it turns out, Ravager funerals are long. 

Fireworks are still shooting up from all over and as more and more ships arrive, Peter knows that there’s no way the celebration of the man that was Yondu Udonta will be ending soon. 

Peter stands away from his friends after a while, telling them that he just needs a moment alone, which they understand though he can see the worry, the pain they feel for him in their eyes as he offers them a smile and disappears to a quieter part of the ship. 

He still has a good view of the sky and he stands and watches, feeling both proud and broken at the same time. 

He’d always known that Yondu, whether he believed it himself or not, was a good man, but even Peter hadn’t known the extent of just how good. Beneath the status of Ravager Captain, behind the bold and brash persona that formed the surface of the blue Centaurian, was a heart bigger than most could ever hope to have, and Peter hated that it had taken until the end for him to fully realise it; hell, he was angry at Yondu for that too. 

The image of Yondu’s face, frozen and icy but full of so much pride, flashes into Peter’s mind and he closes his eyes quickly, as though doing so will send it away. 

He feels so much anger, so much hatred, that it feels like a fierce heat rising up inside of him. 

It’s just so unfair. 

There’s so much he wishes he could have said, could have told Yondu, but it was all over so quickly and now here he is, an orphan among the stars. 

‘’I’m sorry, Yondu,’’ he murmurs, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes. ‘’I’m sorry you died for me.’’ 

He feels it then, the whisper of something across his shoulders; heavier than a breeze but lighter than the physical presence of another person. 

Yet, there’s something oddly familiar about it… 

Peter holds still, holds his breath and waits. The weight increases on his shoulders from both sides, curling around them until something meets in the centre of his chest and rests there. He takes a deep breath finally and the feeling moves with his body, the way a pair of arms would do if somebody was hugging him. 

There’s a quiet trill of a melodic whistle somewhere near his ear. 

His eyes widen and he gives a shaky gasp as he realises what it is, who it is. 

Yondu… 

The sensation, the embrace, around his shoulders seem to tighten in reaction to his thoughts. Peter eases a hand up to where the pressure is on his chest, holds it there and jolts a little as he feels something, like a wisp of air that’s just a little bit too warm, wrap around his fingers. 

He grins through his tears but doesn’t say anything, just savours the feeling of comfort that surrounds him. 

Even in death, it seems that Yondu is still capable of surprising him, reassuring him, rescuing him. 

Though the ache of sadness is still so heavy, still so raw, Peter suddenly understands that it’s going to be okay, that it’s _okay_ to be okay. If Yondu taught him anything, it was how to survive. 

There’s another squeeze around his shoulders and then the hair by his left ear ruffles in a faint rush of air. 

‘’See ya, boy,’’ he hears in a faint yet oh so very familiar raspy whisper. 

Peter closes his eyes for a moment as the warm weight fades away, leaving him behind with the sea of fireworks still blazing above him in the sky. He opens his eyes and smiles up at them, feeling something fuse back together ever so slightly in his heart. 

‘’See ya, Dad.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I'm definitely glad I went with the happier version! *sobs*

**Author's Note:**

> I looove the idea of Peter being a scrappy little kid, but I sometimes think he would have been pretty terrified upon meeting Yondu, especially if some asshole Ravager had told him that they were gonna take him to the captain who would eat him if he didn't behave haha, so it would have taken a while for his bravery to shine through. Plus, hurt/sad/in need of cuddles Peter is just sooo cute. Goddamn it Yondu, just hug the boy you stupid fooool!!
> 
> I also have a bit of a headcanon that the worlds existing beyond Earth must have their own movie stars; like if Johnny Depp is famous all over the world, then an alien actor could be famous all over various planets kinda thing, and the most famous actor is probably somebody with lots of tentacles and crazy fangs or something and Peter just can't get his head around it haha! I have too much time on my hands...
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Next one will be up soon! Apologies for any errors, I am terrible at proof reading.


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